Winning Bizness Desk

Mumbai. At a time when Vande Bharat Express is getting good response from passengers on most of the routes, on the other hand, there have been incidents of stone pelting on this luxurious set of trains at some places. Stones were pelted on trains in many parts of the country including Bihar, West Bengal. Because of this, the railway has suffered a loss of lakhs. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav gave this information in Parliament. While giving the information, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said that since 2019, incidents of stone pelting on Vande Bharat trains have cost the railway more than Rs 55 lakh. In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Vaishnav said that 151 people have been arrested in stone-pelting incidents. He also informed that there was no loss of life of any passenger or any incident of theft or loss of luggage of any passenger.

One train costs around Rs 115 crore

Notably, Vande Bharat trains run at an average speed of 64 kmph to 95 kmph. Eight out of ten VB trains have a speed of less than 80 kmph. The maximum commercial speed of Vande Bharat Express is 160 km/h (99 mph). During testing, the express reached a top speed of 180 km/h (110 mph). Due to the railway track speed capacity and traffic constraints, the speed of Vande Bharat Express is limited. Vande Bharat Express was designed by Research Design and Standards Organization (RDSO). The express is built at the government-owned Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai. A 16-coach Vande Bharat train costs around Rs 115 crore.

Train will be seen in orange and gray colors

The Railway Minister said, “Some incidents of stone pelting on Vande Bharat trains have come to light. Indian Railways has incurred a loss of Rs 55.60 lakh in the years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 (till June). Vande Bharat trains were damaged in stone pelting incidents. Vaishnav said that the Railway Protection Force (RPF) is conducting 'Operation Saathi' along with the district police and administration for the safety of passengers and railway property. 'Vande Bharat Express' will now be seen in orange and gray colors instead of white. Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav shared photos of Vande Bharat in new colour. Vande Bharat is said to be more attractive now than its earlier color. There are currently 25 Vande Bharat Express running across the country.